the fifth ETS race of the season is scheduled from 3rd to 6th of February 2022 and the Registration on MyRCM is still OPEN. If you want to be part of one of the biggest indoor Onroad events, just sign up on MyRCM and join us in Daun for ETS RD5 Season #14 2021/22!
High number of entries to expect
Until now we have a total of 265 entries for all six ETS racing classes on the list which is a real amazing turnout for us. As we hope for even more entries, here is the link for the Registration once again!
At the last ETS race in Neumünster, we made very good experiences with our hygienie concept and we ran the complet event under the 2G+ rule, which helped a lot to get green lights from the local authorities of Schleswig-Holstein. The 2G+ rule requires an additional self-test every day for a maximum amount of safety for everybody in the hall.
We already talked with the local authorities of Rheinland-Pfalz (the state where Daun is located), to find out what will be the way to go for our ETS race in the Sporthotel Grafenwald and it will be 2G+ as well. To make the testing as easy as possible for everybody, we were able to hire a pharmacy that will send their stuff to the hotel to do the daily Covid-19 tests directly in the facility of the Sporthotel Grafenwald. We are very happy with this solution as your health is the most important thing for us!
When there will be any changes we will inform you on time but for now the 2G+ rule is the way to go!
We hope to welcome all of you in Daun for a great weekend of racing at ETS RD5 Season #14 2021/22
From the 09. – 12. Dezember 2021, the fourth round of ETS Season #14 2021/22 took place in Neumünster/GER at Chuck`s Raceway. The carpet track was built up in a former indoor soccer hall and the ETS had enough space to host another event with great races and the typical ETS atmosphere. We saw amazing RC car racing once again and we are sure that you all liked to race on the track of Chuck`s Raceway. If you have not been there in person, we hope that you liked our event coverage on the eurorcseries.com website, as well as the live streams and heat videos on our YouTube channel.
Let go back to Neumümster to review the race results and some other things we noticed during the fourth round of the actual ETS campaign.
Complicated parameters ahead of ETS RD4
A huge thanks to all participants for their great discipline and responsibility
Hosting an event with more than 200 RC Car racers was never a problem in the past. The ETS had more than 400 registrations from time to time before the Covid-19 pandemic started to overrun the whole world. But after we are in this worldwide dilemma now for almost 2 years, the challenges for the ETS to host our beloved racing events became tremendous. Some weeks before the race in Neumünster, the number of Covid-19 infections went up dramatically fast in Germany. Until some days before the event, nobody could be 100% sure that it would finally happen! When we got “green lights” from the local authorities, we decided to run the event under the 2G+ rules which meant that everybody in the hall had to be vaccinated or recovered from the virus. The 2G+ rule also required a daily test to guarantee the best possible safety and health for everybody. All drivers and mechanics acted very respectful, and everything went smooth. As the local authorities came in to check the situation, they were totally satisfied with the way the event was organized! The whole ETS crew and the team from Chuck`s raceway would like to shout out a massive THANK YOU to everybody for showing responsible for yourself and others!
Chuck`s Raceway – RC Car Racing in northern Germany
A track layout that many racers will remember for a long time
The track in Neumünster was simply superb, and most of the drivers complimented the technical layout and the challenge they had to take when driving on it. The team of Chuck`s raceway around track designer Tim Benson did an amazing job and we had one of the best carpet tracks in the history of the ETS with zero bumps, nice curbs, well mounted barriers, and a huge rostrum. The only thing which could have been better was the lighting (which was not very bright) and the temperature in the hall but in the end, everybody was happy to race indoors at the ETS again!
Media coverage of ETS RD4
ETS media team with two different live streams in Neumüster
In cooperation with PullstartTV, the ETS brought their streaming camera system to Neumünster. Oliver Storm installed and activated it on Friday as soon as the controlled practice had started. This ensured a nice live streaming during the entire weekend and a lot of people watched the races from home. Additionally, ETS media team member and camera man Hanno van den Boogaard installed another static camera, and the viewers had the choice between the active PullstartTV system and a classic single camera live stream. Phil Richter was announcing the race again, Hartmut Wenzel was the responsible time keeper and referee Franz Heinsbroek was on the line to watch drivers racing each other in the finals. Uwe Rheinard once again managed everything else during the days and worked together with Jutta Treder who was in control of race tires and electronics. Photographer Tom Wald was also in charge with the media team and accepted the challenge of the bad lighting at Chuck`s Raceway to shoot a lot of pictures of drivers and cars. Reporter Patrick Beck did his job with writing all the reports and doing small interviews with drivers after their races. Sadly, he got stopped Saturday night as he had to visit an emergency dentist who hat to remove him a very inflamed wisdom tooth. This was the reason for the A2 and A3 report being online with a little delay on Sunday as Patrick wrote those reports after arriving at home. We hope that you guys are still liking our media teams work – if you have any kind of critique just let us know at any time!
Matrix Modified – the strongest Onroad racing class in the world!
Epic battle between Rheinard and Coelho while Manzo shines like a diamond
The Matrix Modified class is the premiere category at the ETS. And for everybody who is not sure about this – watch our videos from the triple A-Mains and you will know it from then. We saw amazing racing with a sensational A1 winner Michele Manzo and an epic drive from Coelho and Rheinard in A2 where they raced nose to tail for the entire 5 minutes. Modified racing is not easy and a lot of people don`t have the courage to try to race in this class but it is the only class where you can compete against the best touring car drivers on the planet. And even if you only watch these top guys from the sideline it is always magic and a great feeling when everybody is so impressed after these races.
Team and driver`s top performances
As we have already 4 ETS races in the books, we are looking forward to RD5 in Daun and the season final at RD6 in the Hudy Arena. These races are scheduled for February and March 2022 and we really hope that we can welcome you there. But what can we expect from the teams and their drivers for the final races on carpet? After one carpet race is done, we take a closer look on their performances now!
Awesomatix still on a high in all classes
Marc Rheinard showed his class with world class driving
Awesomatix top modified driver Marc Rheinard finished third behind race winner Bruno Coelho and Michele Manzo, but he showed one of his best performances at the ETS since a long time. It looked like he had the fastest car all weekend long, he just missed the TQ in qualifying. His second starting position meant that he had to overtake Bruno Coelho and – which we all saw is not an easy task. But with the great pace Rheinard showed in Neumünster, we can expect him to be in the fight for the win at RD5 in Daun for sure. Rheinard already announced on his social media, that he will be back in “full attack mode” in 2022.
Michele Manzo – the pride of Switzerland
Michele Manzo had the race of his life and booked his best ETS result with second overall. He described his A1 win as “very emotional” and he drove flawless all weekend long. Manzo made the A-Main 5 times in a row now after he joined Awesomatix at the end of 2019 and it looks like he is on a real high now! His teammate Tim Wahl qualified and finished fifth overall and made the A-Main again for the first time since RD1 at Arena33. Awesomatix latest signing, former 1:8 Nitro Buggy World Champion David Ronnefalk, finished 7th and Karri Salmela 9th (both made their first ETS A-Main). Awesomatix was the brand with the most cars in the Modified A-Main with a total of 5 A800MMX cars.
Simon Lauter continues winning in the Xray ProStock class
In the Xray ProStock class, the brand is still one of the strongest while they had 4 cars in the A-Main with Simon Lauter taking the overall win after starting from pole position. After this important win, Simon Lauter is totally in the game for the overall championship where he is fighting against Xray`s Alexandre Duchet. When Lauter will be able to carry his current form over into 2022 he can be very optimistic to claim the overall championship title for a second time after 2019.
Awesomatix wins the Orca 17.5 Stock and ToniSport 40+ Masters class
Thomas Bemmerl and Daniel Pöhlmann had a dominant weekend in the Orca 17.5 Stock class, Toni Mateo won the ToniSport 40+ Masters class and Marvin Fritschler and Jonas Völker stepped onto the podium of the Hobbywing Frontwheel class in second and third position. We can call ETS RD4 a huge success for the Russian manufacturer Awesomatix around team manager Max Mächler.
Xray taking the win in three classes
Bruno Coelho with a masterpiece of defensive driving in A2 & A3
With Bruno Coelho`s impressive drive ahead of a hard pushing Marc Rheinard, Xray took a second consecutive ETS win in the Matrix Modified class. Bruno had a lot of work to hold off Rheinard in the triple A-Mains and he did a brilliant job. His car looked strong in practice and qualifying, where he earned himself the TQ spot. But in the finals, Rheinard had the better pace in A1 and A2 and after only finishing 6th in A1 after a racing incident, Coelho had to deal with tremendous pressure in A2, but he finally brought home the win. In A3, after a small setup change on his X4, Bruno`s car looked much better and faster again and he was able to win ETS RD4 for his Xray team. Bruno Coelho is now in a good position of the championship as he still hast the chance to win the overall title. He and Ronald Völker (Mugen Seiki) both have 2 wins, including 2 TQ`s, on their score card and we cannot ask for more when we look forward to the last 2 races of the 14th ETS season.
Alexander Hagberg makes the main after tough qualifying as Brunet does the bump up
Coelho`s Xray teammate Alexander Hagberg had a tough qualifying and it looked like he could miss the A-main. His car looked good, but his times were relatively slow compared to his normal pace and maybe his set of tires was not as good as it should be. But finally, Alex had a solid Q3 and Q4 and made the A-Main to start 9th and finish 6th overall in the end. Marco Kaufmann and Antoine Brunet qualified for the A-Main as well (Brunet did the bump up from the B-Main) and they finished 10th and 11th overall making it 4 Xray cars in the Matrix Modified A-Main.
Alexandre Duchet still a candidate for overall title
After his second overall finish at ETD RD4 in Neumünster, Alexandre Duchet is still in the hunt for the overall ETS title in the Xray ProStock class. Duchet won the first two races of the season and booked a disappointing 5th place in Apeldoorn. With his result from the last weekend, he is still in a good situation, and he will fight with Awesomatix driver Simon Lauter for the title in Daun and in the Hudy Arena in Trencin. Jan Ratheisky finished 4th overall and Lukas Ellerbrock 11th.
Xray wins Hobbywing Frontwheel class and scores podiums in 40+ Masters and 17.5 Stock
In the Hobbywing Frontweel class, Stefan Schulz showed that he is still the man to beat after winning the race from pole position. It seems like he is the driver who can get the most out of his package now and with 3 race wins (compared to one win for Steven Olsen) he is close to the overall title in this important class at the ETS. In the ToniSport 40+ Masters class, Caspar Morgen was the fastest driver during practice and lined up third on the grid. After some thrilling finals he finished third overall and is still leading the overall championship. In the Orca 17.5 Stock class it was Jan Gehrig who finished 2nd overall after a great fight with the Awesomatix drivers Thomas Bemmerl and Daniel Pöhlmann.
Mugen Seiki with three cars in ProStock A-Main
Ronald Völker finished 4th in the Matrix Modified class after a tough weekend
Mugen Seiki`s lead driver Ronald Völker lacked a bit of pace during qualifying and started from 4th position into the finals. Not a bad starting position, but for Völker`s ambitions it was not a perfect weekend in Neumünster. His car just didn`t turn as sharp as the cars of his main competitors, and his average lap times have been just a little bit slower compared to Coelho, Rheinard and Manzo. Maybe he had the same problem as Hagberg, with a set of tires that was not as good as other sets. We will never know, but as we know about Völker`s regular pace on carpet it was kind of a surprise that he had no real shot for the overall win at Chuck`s Raceway. Together with Robert Pietsch he tried a lot of things on the car, but they were not able to get into the fight for the win during the weekend. For sure, Ronald will test a lot before the next race in Daun (which he won in 2020) to be even stronger at ETS RD5. As the fight for the overall title in the Matrix Modified class is now between him and Coelho, we can expect maximum tension when we head to the next ETS race in February 2022.
Berkan Kilic impresses in ProStock class at first ever ETS
In the Xray ProStock class, Mugen Seiki had the highest number of cars in the ProStock A-Main since the Japanese company started to compete in the electric 1:10 scale touring car class in 2017. Three Mugen Seiki MTC2 drivers qualified for the biggest show in stock touring car racing at the ETS. Berkan Kilic, normally known for his excellent 1:8 scale Offroad driving skills, showed that he also can go fast with a touring car and qualified 7th on the grid. Jonas Völker (Mr. StickonRC) qualified 9th and made his first ever ETS ProStock A-Main with a car that he borrowed from Ronald Völker. Both showed great driving and improved their positions in the finals to P6 (Kilic) and P8 (Völker). The third driver who qualified 4th on the grid with the MTC2 was Tim Benson. He started in A1 with the Mugen car but decided to run a car from a different manufacturer for A2 and A3 and left the Mugen Seiki team during the event due to personal reasons! However, it was a successful weekend for Mugen Seiki in the Xray ProStock class and the team will try to further improve the car for the upcoming events!
Kevin Sparbier wheeled the MTC2 FWD car in Neumünster
The new MTC2 FWD car from Mugen Seiki is available now since a couple of weeks and booked his first A-Main appearance at the ETS in the hands of Kevin Sparbier. He qualified and finished 7th overall in the Hobbywing Frontwheel class. A strong result on the first big race for Mugen Seiki`s new front wheel drive car!
Yokomo with cars in 3 different A-Mains at Chuck`s Raceway
Christopher Krapp – the A-Main guarantor for Yokomo
Christopher Krapp was the fastest Yokomo driver in Neumünster as he was able to qualify 6th on the grid in the Matrix Modified class. He finished 8th overall after some tough races in the finals but he once again was responsible to show the performance of the Yokomo BD10LC. His teammate Nicolas Lee from Singapore, who is always a potential top 10 driver, struggled a bit during the weekend and found himself in the B-Main. With Loic Jasmin and Yannic Prümper not racing at ETS RD4 in Neumünster, Yokomo missed both of them to achieve a stronger overall result with more teamwork and more cars collecting datas concerning the perfect setup for this track.
Enrico Jung with second “Bump Up” of the season
In the ProStock class, Yokomo`s Enrico Jung had to work hard for his third A-Main appearance of the season. He was BQ after qualifying and won the first B-Main in a dominant way to bump up into the A-Main for a second time this season. He is Yokomo`s top driver in the ProStock class at the moment and this role seems to give him a lot of confidence. Jung will do his very best to continue like this in his best ETS season so far!
Tim Dübel with great race in the FWD class at ETS debut
With Yokomo driver Tim Dübel, the Japanese RC manufacturer had at least one car in the A-Main of the Hobbywing Frontwheel drive class. Tim is normally racing 1:10 scale Offroad for Yokomo only and had his first onroad experience during ETS RD4 at Chuck`s Raceway. He drove some very good qualifiers which earned him a well-deserved 9th starting position for the finals. In the end he finished 11th overall for Yokomo.
First race on foam tires for Scorpion Formula class
Ratheisky stamps authority on Formula class at ETS RD4
The Scorpion Formula class saw the cars using foam tires for the first time in the history of the ETS. It looked like all drivers had to find a good and drivable setup in the beginning, but in the end, all cars looked good on track and the tires seemed to work good on the black ETS carpet. Jan Ratheisky conquered a relatively unchallenged win ahead of his competitors. He is driving in the Formula class since many many years now and he probably is the best Formula driver on earth right now (which he showed with winning the World up in 2018). With his biggest rival over the years, David Ehrbar, now racing touring car again it will be interesting to see when there will be somebody to fight with Jan for race wins in this class again! Behind Rtheisky, René Kölbel booked a strong second place finish making it a 1-2 for Xray on the podium. Sören Sparbier completed the top 3 of the Scorpion Formula class with his Serpent chassis! Another interesting story came from Jan Ratheisky and Kai Asmer (who is Jan`s father). Kai was able to make the “bump up” from the B-Main and so he raced together with his son in the Formula A-Main. Imagine how cool this is and think about Jos Verstappen racing a F1 race together with Max on track – only RC racing can write stories like this! The overall attendance in the Formula class was a little low this time. We will find out in the future, if the foam tires can bring back more racers to the F1 class as they normally perform great everywhere.
Other Highlights from ETS RD5 in Neumünster
Our media team is always trying to cover as much stories as possible during an ETS weekend. But as the days are long and a lot of action is going on all the time, our reporter cannot always be where the action happens! But here are some more highlights from ETS RD4:
Rarely cars and their drivers
Søren Boy Holst drove to a strong 5th place in the ToniSport 40+ Masters class with his Gizmo Genesis Mid 2022 touring car. The car from Gizmo USA is unique and not seen a lot out there at the ETS but he showed that it is possible to go fast with it. He also won ETS RD1 at Arena33 with a Gizmo car this season. You don`t always need the moset frequent car to have success on track!
Dominik Ruf once again made the A-Main in the Orca 17.5 Stock class with his Tamiya TRF 420MM H2RD touring car. Tamiya was a strong force at the ETS some years ago but since the shutdown of their factory team at the end of 2016, the number of Tamiya cars in the pits decreased. Dominik Ruf is a real Tamiya enthusiast and trusts in the products of the biggest RC Car company in the world. He is always pushing his Tamiya car to the limit and is competing in the 17.5 A-Main against the strong forces of Awesomatix and the other brands around him.
Elena Fuchs in Orca 17.5 Stock A-Main again
Young Elena Fuchs worked hard to qualify for her first ETS A-Main, which she finally achieved in Apeldoorn at RD3 where she finished 8th overall. She now was able to repeat this strong result on carpet as she qualified 9th to finish 8th overall. She is always working together with her father Frank Fuchs who is constantly in the A-Main of the ToniSport 40+ Masters class and it is great to see how she improved her skills during the season.
The “Beer Bet”
Jonas Völker used a Mugen Seiki car this weekend in the Xray ProStock class which he borrowed from his friend Ronald Völker. Right before the race, Jonas talked to Mugen team manager Patrick Beck and said: “When I will make the A-Main you have to buy me a lot of beer….!” Patrick accepted the challenge as he was not 100% sure if Jonas would be able to get it done. But right after Q4 when Jonas booked his spot in the final, Patrick went to the supermarket and bought Jonas a punnet of canned beer. Betting debts are debts of honour!
Season #14 2021/22 to continue in Daun/GER
We hope you liked this small recap of our beautiful weekend in Neumünster from ETS RD4 Season #14 2021/22. Now we will head into a little Christmas break, and we hope to see all of you (and many more) at the beginning of February 2022 when the ETS will stop in the Sporthotel Grafenwald in Daun for RD5.
The whole ETS crew around Uwe and Scotty would like to wish you and your families a peaceful and happy christmas time and a good and healthy start into 2022.
ETS Crew (Uwe, Scotty, Hartmut, Jutta, Malo, Hanno, Oliver, Tom, Phil, Franz, Toni, Oli and Patrick)
Coelho holds off hard challenging Rheinard to win ETS RD4 in Neumünster
Xray`s Bruno Coelho walks away from Chuck`s Raceway with maximum points in his pocket. After winning the last outdoor race in Apeldoorn, it was his second consecutive victory (same as Völker) which keeps the overall championship alive for Coelho. Mugen Seiki`s championship leader Ronald Völker finished fourth overall here at Chuck`s Raceway and we can expect two more thrilling ETS races until the end of season 14. Here is what happened in A2 and A3 today: Right off the line, Marc Rheinard was on the back of Coelho`s Xray again and made a lot of pressure with his sharp looking Awesomatix car. Rheinard tried to find a gap and he waited for the perfect chance to overtake Coelho. It was easy to see that he had the faster car but none of his overtaking attempts had been successful. In the end, Bruno Coelho crossed the line first with Rheinard in toe. Michele Manzo (Awesomatix) had another great run and confirmed his third starting position once again. Ronald Völker (Mugen Seiki) and Tim Wahl (Awesomatix) completed the top 5 of the second leg in the Matrix Modified class. With the decision for the overall win on the line between Coelho, Rheinard and Manzo, the tension right before A3 was very high as everybody was standing all around the track to watch the third A-Main. This time, Rheinard was not able to create the same amount of pressure as he did in A2 and Coelho was able to keep the distance between his Xray and the chasing Awesomatix of Rheinard between 0.2 and 0.5 seconds for the whole run. In the end, Bruno Coelho took the overall win at one of the most intense carpet races since a long time!
Read how the top 3 of the Matrix Modified class reflected their weekend here after ETS RD4 at Chuck`s Raceway in Neumünster
The weekend started very well with a very good pace, we were very confident about this race as we worked a lot for it and the last race there was very positive so the expectation was very high. On the qualifies the things changed a bit and we faced a great fight with Manzo and Marc which was always super close and I was able to TQ on tie breaker with Marc. In the finals, it was a bit tense with a lot of pressure and many touches. In A1 I got crashed out by Marc in the very first minute and later, after a body tuck from a side by side contact I finished 6th. In A2 I had a very hard final defending the attacks from Marc who was always on my rear and couldn’t avoid many touches. It was pure lucky to not have again the body stuck or made some “donuts” losing like that the entire work that we have done for long to win this race. In A3 we changed the setup and my car was a little better which I was able to get a very small margin from Marc and manage it until the end.
Bruno Coelho, Xray/Hobbywing
My feeling is for sure very good as the hard work over the years finally payed off…! So winning the first main was for sure not expected but was an extra boost for the other two mains. In A2 I just wanted to save my podium and wanted do a clean run. In A3 I was just for full send cause I had nothing to lose anymore but I just didn’t have the pace to follow Bruno and Marc but at least I am the happiest guy on earth with the 2nd place. To be the point leader until the last main was pretty nice but I knew its gona be hard to win but I gave everthing I had.
Michele Manzo, Awesomatix/Hobbywing
In A2 I had an intense fight with Bruno, I was a lot faster than him, tried many times to find a way by but he defend pretty good and i couldn’t find a way around him. In A3 I hoped for a similar race as in A2 where I’ve been a lot quicker than Bruno but he found some pace and we had the same speed. I didn’t had the chance to attack him this time. Overall I’m happy with my whole package this weekend and also my driving but i’m disappointed with the outcome on P3 as I was showing that I had the the fastest car this weekend! In the end, 2021 wasn’t my year, but I will come back stronger next year!
Marc Rheinard, Awesomatix /Orca
Overall results of the Matrix Modified class (Car/Electronics) 1. Bruno Coelho (PT) Xray/Hobbywing 2. Michele Manzo (CH) Awesomatix/Hobbywing 3. Marc Rheinard (DE) Awesomatix/Orca 4. Ronald Völker (DE) Mugen Seiki/LRP 5. Tim Wahl (DE) Awesomatix/Orca 6. Alexander Hagberg (SE) Xray/Hobbywing 7. David Ronnefalk (SE) Awesomatix 8. Christopher Krapp (DE) Yokomo/Racing Performer 9. Karri Salmela (FI) Awesomatix/Reedy 10. Marco Kaufmann (DE) Xray 11. Antoine Brunet (FR) Xray/Hobbywing Winner B-Main: Jan Ratheisky (DE) Xray/Hobbywing Winner C-Main: Robert Pietsch (DE) Mugen Seiki/LRP Winner D-Main: Mads Koue (DK) no data on MyRCM
Another big win for Lauter keeps the championship wide open
Simon Lauter (Awesomatix) had another strong run from his pole position in A2 of the Xray ProStock class. As he crossed the finish line, the crowd was cheering for Simon as he showed great pace all weekend long (even with missing Thursday practice) and deserved this win a lot. After Alexandre Duchet (Xray) won the first two races of ETS season 14, he was the top favourite for the title but Simon Lauter is more than back in the game for Awesomatix after he won RD3 in Apeldoorn and RD4 in Neumünster. Alexandre Duchet then took the third A-Main here at Chuck`s Raceway to secure an important second place (concerning the championship) on the podium in front of Max Mächler (Awesomatix), Jan Ratheisky (Xray) and Frederik Mikkelsen (Awesomatix).
Overall results of the Xray ProStock class (Car/Battery) 1. Simon Lauter (DE) Awesomatix/LRP 2. Alexandre Duchet (FR) Xray/Orca 3. Max Mächler (DE) Awesomatix/Sunpadow 4. Jan Ratheisky (DE) Xray/Sunpadow 5. Frederik Mikkelsen (DK) Awesomatix/LRP 6. Berkan Kilic (TR) Mugen Seiki/GensAce 7. Tim Benson (DE) no data on MyRCM 8. Jonas Völker (DE) Mugen Seiki/LRP 9. Enrico Jung (DE) Yokomo/GensAce 10. Jesper Rasmussen (DK) Awesomatix/Reedy 11. Lukas Ellerbrock (DE) Xray/LRP Winner B-Main: Louis Kretschmer (DE) Awesomatix Winner C-Main: Dominik Schmid (DE) no data on MyRCM Winner D-Main: Kevin Sparbier (DE) Mugen Seiki
Schulz close to overall ETS title with hard fought win in northern Germany
The Hobbywing Frontwheel drive class produced some great racing once again. Stefan Schulz took A2 in front of Marvin Fritschler, Steven Olsen, and Jonas Völker (same order as in A1) and secured himself the overall win. Schulz has the best chances to win the overall ETS titlenow, as this win was his third victory of the season (with Steven Olsen winning one race). Marvin Fritschler had a strong ETS debut and finished second overall in front of Jonas Völker who snatched the last podium spot away from Steven Olsen with a second place in the third A-Main.
Overall results of the Hobbywing Frontwheel class 1. Stefan Schulz (DE) Xray 2. Marvin Fritschler (DE) Awesomatix 3. Jonas Völker (DE) Awesomatix 4. Steven Olsen (DK) Awesomatix 5. Torsten Baggendorf (DE) Awesomatix 6. Manuel Stankowitz (DE) Awesomatix 7. Kevin Sparbier (DE) Mugen Seiki 8. Meik Niemann (DE) Awesomatix 9. Max Körner (DE) Awesomatix 10. Der Shoemaker Schuster (DE) ARC 11. Tim Dübel (DE) Yokomo Winner B-Main: Henrik Heitsch (DE) ARC Winner C-Main: Nicolai Nelsen (DK) Awesomatix Winner D-Main: Patrick Sommer (DE) no data in MyRCM Winner E-Main: Lars Harnack (DE) no data in MyRCM
Bemmerl wins at Chuck`s Raceway and aims for overall ETS title
In the Orca 17.5 Stock class, Thomas Bemmerl had the better end on his side after we saw three different winners in the triple A-Mains. With Daniel Pöhlmann taking A1, it was Thomas Bemmerl who won the second leg with Jan Gehring taking A3. It all came down to the tie breaker where Bemmerl and Gehrig were even on points. But as Thomas Bemmerl`s winning time of A2 was the fastest, he booked his third win of the season (after winning both races at Arena33) and the overall championship is not far away from Bemmerl anymore.
Overall Top 10 of the Orca 17.5 Stock class 1. Thomas Bemmerl (DE) Awesomatix 2. Jan Gehrig (DE) Xray 3. Daniel Pöhlmann (DE) Awesomatix 4. Dominik Reile (De) Awesomatix 5. Dominik Ruf (DE) Tamiya 6. Kevin Schmid (DE) no data in MyRCM 7. Max Körner (DE) Mugen Seiki 8. Elena Fuchs (DE) Awesomatix 9. Patrick Sommer (DE) no data in MyRCM 10. Georg Rolshoven (DE) no data in MyRCM 11. Kim Lindegaard (DK) Xray Winner B-Main: Wolfgang Swoboda (DE) no data in MyRCM Winner C-Main: Niclas Storm (DE) no data in MyRCM
The winning trophy goes to Gran Canaria as Mateo wins Masters class
Toni Mateo will carry a sweet trophy home to Gran Canaria. Mateo won the first two legs of the ToniSport 40+ Masters class ahead of Ulrich Dinger and Caspar Morgen. Toni Mateo then watched A3 relaxed from the sideline and saw Ulrich Dinger taking the win in front of Caspar Morgen and Mirco Thalheimer. With his win from A3, Ulrich Dinger finished second overall behind race winner Toni Mateo and in fromt of third placed driver Caspar Morgen. Mirco Thalheimer and Søren Boy Holst completed the top 5 in the ToniSport 40+ Masters class.
Overall result of the Infinity 40+ Masters class 1. Toni Mateo (ES) Awesomatix 2. Ulrich Dinger (DE) no data in MyRCM 3. Caspar Morgen (DK) Xray 4. Mirco Thalheimer (DE) Serpent 5. Søren Boy Holst (DK) Gizmo 6. Frank Fuchs (DE) Awesomatix 7. Ronald Arts (NL) Awesomatix 8. Karsten Bartsch (DE) no data in MyRCM 9. Andy Kühne (DE) Awesomatix 10. Torsten Baggendorf (DE) Awesomatix 11. Flavio Paladin (IT) Xray Winner B-Main: Manuel Stankowitz (DE) Awesomatix Winner C-Main: Klaus Ryeskov (DK) Xray Winner D-Main: Thomas Welzig (DE) ARC Winner E-Main: Arie van der Steen (NL) Awesomatix
Ratheisky wins after a dominant performance on foam tires
ETS RD4 in Neumünster was the first outing for the new foam tires and it was Jan Ratheisky who took maximum advantage out of them. He cruised to the win in A1 and A2 and brought home his third win of the season (with another second place in Apeldoorn). René Kölbel and Sören Sparbier joined class primus Jan Ratheisky on the podium and Tomáš Sova and Patrik Sadrinna completed the top5 of the Scorpion Formula class!
Overall Top 10 of the Scorpion Formula class 1. Jan Ratheisky (DE) XRay 2. René Kölbel (AT) Xray 3. Sören Sparbier (DE) Serpent 4. Tomáš Sova (CZ) Xray 5. Patrik Sadrinna (DE) no data on MyRCM 6. Alexander Bremer (DE) no data on MyRCM 7. Michael Lipperheide (DE) EF1 8. Markus Greune (DE) no data on MyRCM 9. Marek Sova (DE) Xray 10. Ralf Niemann (DE) Ehrbar Engineering 11. Kai Asmer (DE) Xray Winner B-Main: Chris Grenz (DE) EF1
The first A-Main of the Matrix Modified class was fully packed with action, and as Michele Manzo (Awesomatix) crossed the finish line, the crowd went crazy. But first things first: Directly after the start, Marc Rheinard (Awesomatix) was on the tail of Bruno Coelho (Xray) and made early pressure on the Portuguese driver. But after a small contact between Rheinard and Coelho, where both lost time and positions, it was Michele Manzo on top of the field – followed by Ronald Völker (Mugen Seiki). As Völker was not able to close the gap to Manzo, Rheinard and Coelho came closer to Völkers car at the 3-minute mark. After Coelho touched Völker`s car a little bit in the infield section, Völker was able to continue without any problems but for Coelho it ended with an unlucky body tuck letting him drop down to P5. Rheinard then closed the gap to Völker and was able to pass him in the last minute of the race. But as Rheinard was running out of time, he was not able to get close enough to Manzo anymore and had to take second place. But with the fastest lap of the race going to his favour, Rheinard can be optimistic for tomorrows A2 and A3. It was an eventful race with a lot going on, and Michele Manzo celebrated his first ever A-main win at an ETS race with a loud and well-deserved shoutout!
Simon Lauter (Awesomatix) took full advantage of his pole position and took the win in A1 from tone to tone. Behind him, the running order was Alexandre Duchet (Xray) in second and Max Mächler (Awesomatix) in third. Max tried everything to close the gap to Duchet but in the end they crossed the line as they started off the grid. Jan Ratheisky (Xray) and Berkan Kilic (Mugen Seiki) completed the top 5 in A1 of the Xray ProStock class here at ETS RD4 in Neumünster.
Schulz takes A1 after a clinic run on Chuck`s Raceway
A1 of the Hobbywing Frontwheel class saw a freight train of four cars pulling away from the field. Stefan Schulz was leading, with Marvin Fritschler, Steven Olsen and Jonas Völker in toe. These four guys stayed together really close over the entire run and it was amazing to watch some frontwheel drive racing at the highest level. Stefan Schulz showed how strong his nerves are and was standing his ground until he crossed the finish line. Let`s find out tomorrow, if somebody can attack Stefan Schulz in A2 or A3
Pöhlmann resists tremendous pressure from Bemmerl and takes A1
Daniel Pöhlmann had to pass kind of a final exam this evening here in A1 of the Orca 17.5 Stock class. Thomas Bemmerl was right on his tail over the most time of the run and Pöhlmann was able to stay calm and finally resists the pressure in a thrilling A1. Daniel Pöhlmann had a gap of 1.8 seconds as he crossed the finish line because Bemmerl had a small traction roll in the very ast lap but this entire run was great to watch – excellent driving in the Orca 17.5 Stock class. Jan Gehrig finished third in A1 and Dominik Reile and Kevin Schmid completed the top 5.
Toni Mateo had a terrible first lap in A1 as he spun around two times what caused a huge chaos behind him. But somehow, Mateo was able to move up through the field again and chased the race leader Ulrich Dinger. Frank Fuchs improved his fifth starting position and finished on a strong third place. In the front, Toni Mateo was able to pass Ulrich Dinger in the last minute of the race to take the win in A1 after having this kind of a bad start.
Ratheisky continues where he stopped in qualifying
The first A-Main of the Scproion Formula class was a parade as the top 7 didn`t change any positions. Pole setter Jan Ratheisky took the win in front of René Kölbel and Sören Sparbier.
Coelho TQ for Xray as he finishes qualifying tied on points with Rheinard
Bruno Coelho (Xray) and Marc Rheinard (Awesomatix) had a great battle for pole position throughout all four rounds of qualifying. After Rheinard won Q1 on Friday evening, it was Coelho who came back stronger by taking Q2 and Q3. Marc Rheinard then was quickest again in the final qualifier on Saturday afternoon and the decision for the overall TQ came down to the fastest runtime which was on Coelho`s side! With this close result we can look forward to some thrilling finals and with Michele Manzo (Awesomatix), Ronald Völker (Mugen Seiki) and Tim Wahl (Awesomatix) starting also in the top 5, there is some more potential for great racing here at ETS RD4 in Neumünster!
Overall Top 10 of the Matrix Modified class after 4 rounds of qualifying (Car/Electronics): TQ Bruno Coelho (PT) Xray/Hobbywing 2. Marc Rheinard (DE) Awesomatix/Orca 3. Michele Manzo (CH) Awesomatix/Hobbywing 4. Ronald Völker (DE) Mugen Seiki/LRP 5. Tim Wahl (DE) Awesomatix/Orca 6. Christopher Krapp (DE) Yokomo/Racing Performer 7. David Ronnefalk (SE) Awesomatix 8. Marco Kaufmann (DE) Xray 9. Alexander Hagberg (SE) Xray/Hobbywing 10. Karri Salmela (FI) Awesomatix/Reedy
Strong Lauter claims pole position at Chuck`s Raceway
The hard-fought pole position in the Xray ProStock class goes to Simon Lauter. The Awesomatix driver showed a strong pace today and was able to win Q3 and Q4. With Duchet (Xray) having taken the first two rounds of qualifying here in Neumünster, it was Lauter who had the quickest runtime on his score card. His best overall runtime, coming out of Q3, was 0.2 seconds faster as Duchet`s best result from Q2. Right behind Lauter and Duchet we will see Max Mächler (Awesomatix), Tim Benson (Mugen Seiki) and Jan Ratheisky completing the top 5 of the Xray ProStock class at ETS RD4. With Berkan Kilic (Mugen Seiki – first ETS race ever), Jonas Völker (Mugen Seiki) and Jesper Rasmussen (Awesomatix) we have three drivers who qualified for the ProStock A-main for the first time in their ETS racing career – congratulations guys!
Overall Top 10 of the Xray ProStock class after 4 rounds of qualifying (Car/Battery): TQ Simon Lauter (DE) Awesomatix/LRP 2. Alexandre Duchet (FR) Xray/Orca 3. Max Mächler (DE) Awesomatix/Sunpadow 4. Tim Benson (DE) Mugen Seiki/Nosram 5. Jan Ratheisky (DE) Xray/Sunpadow 6. Frederik Mikkelsen (DK) Awesomatix/LRP 7. Berkan Kilic (TR) Mugen Seiki/GensAce 8. Lukas Ellerbrock (DE) Xray/LRP 9. Jonas Völker (DE) Mugen Seiki/LRP 10. Jesper Rasmussen (DK) Awesomatix/Reedy
Pole position for Schulz ahead of Fritschler and Olsen
Stefan Schulz booked the best starting position for the upcoming triple A-Mains. He won three consecutive qualifiers in a row (Q2-Q4) and will see Marvin Fritschler lining up right behind him. Fritschlers second starting spot on the grid can help Schulz when we look on the overall championship as his main contender, Steven Olsen, is starting from third place. To attack Schulz, Olsen must find a way by Fritschler at first and that will not be an easy task against the really strong driving Marvin Fritschler.
Overall Top 10 of the Hobbywing Frontwheel class after 4 rounds of qualifying: TQ Stefan Schulz (DE) Xray 2. Marvin Fritschler (DE) Awesomatix 3. Steven Olsen (DK) Awesomatix 4. Jonas Völker (DE) Awesomatix 5. Torsten Baggendorf (DE) Awesomatix 6. Manuel Stankowitz (DE) Awesomatix 7. Kevin Sparbier (DE) Mugen Seiki 8. Meik Niemann (DE) Awesomatix 9. Tim Dübel (DE) Yokomo 10. Der Shoemaker Schuster (DE) ARC
Reigning champion Pöhlmann wins Q3 and Q4 to snatch the pole away from Bemmerl
Daniel Pöhlmann was the fastest driver in Q3 which he won with a gap of 0.9 seconds in front of Jan Gehrig. With his run being faster compared to the best time from Thomas Bemmerl, he knew that another win in Q4 would be enough to start from pole into the triple A-Mains. In Q4, Pöhlmann closed up to Bemmerl and followed him for the entire 5 minutes with always being in the lead. He won the heat and secured himself the very important pole position for the finals in front of Bemmerl and Jan Gehrig, who looks very strong here in Neumünster as well. Let`s see what will happen in the three A-Mains with the first one coming up this Saturday evening!
Overall Top 10 of the Orca Stock 17.5 class after 4 rounds of qualifying: TQ Daniel Pöhlmann (DE) Awesomatix 2. Thomas Bemmerl (DE) Awesomatix 3. Jan Gehrig (DE) Xray 4. Dominik Reile (DE) Awesomatix 5. Dominik Ruf (DE) Tamiya 6. Kevin Schmid (DE) no data in MyRCM 7. Georg Rolshoven (DE) no data in MyRCM 8. Max Körner (DE) no data in MyRCM 9. Elena Fuchs (DE) Awesomatix 10. Kim Lindegaard (DK) Xray
Toni Mateo will start from pole position into the triple A-Mains of the ToniSport 40+ Masters class. The Spaniard won the first three rounds of qualifying which secured him the top spot in the starting grid. Ulrich Dinger won Q4 to line up second behind Mateo, right in front of Caspar Morgen who was close to the leaders during qualifying as well. Can Toni Mateo transform his pole position into a race win? We will find it out pretty soon!
Overall Top 10 of the ToniSport 40+ Masters class after 4 rounds of qualifying: TQ Toni Mateo (ES) Awesomatix 2. Ulrich Dinger (DE) no data in MyRCM 3. Caspar Morgen (DK) Xray 4. Søren Boy Holst (DK) Gizmo 5. Frank Fuchs (DE) Awesomatix 6. Mirco Thalheimer (DE) Serpent 7. Flavio Paladin (DE) Xray 8. Torsten Baggendorf (DE) Awesomatix 9. Andy Kühne (DE) no data in MyRCM 10. Karsten Bartsch (DE) no data in MyRCM
Xray factory driver Jan Ratheisky dominated all 4 rounds of Formula qualifying and he will start from pole position into the finals. René Kölbel will line up directly behind him and he seems to be the only driver who can create pressure on Ratheisky. Sören Sparbier finished his qualifying sessions in third spot and Patrik Sadrinna was the fourth fastest
Overall Top 10 of the Scorpion Formula class after 4 rounds of qualifying: TQ Jan Ratheisky (DE) Xray 2. René Kölbel (DE) Xray 3. Sören Sparbier (DE) Serpent 4. Patrik Sadrinna (DE) no data in MyRCM 5. Tomáš Sova (DE) Xray 6. Alexander Bremer (DE) no data in MyRCM 7. Michael Lipperheide (DE) EF1 8. Marek Sova (DE) Xray 9. Markus Greune (DE) no data in MyRCM 10. Ralf Niemann (DK) no data in MyRCM
Here you can get some impressions from ETS RD4 at Chuck`s raceway in Neumünster from above! ETS Media Team member and Videomaster Hanno van den Boogard enjoyed a little drone flight here in the facility !
Søren Boy Holst from Denmark is running the Gizmo Genesis Mid 2022 touring car here at ETS RD4 in Neumünster. He was able to win ETS RD1 this season at Arena33 in Andernach, but since then the car got some interesting updates concerning the shocks, Motor- and Servomount and the topdeck. Søren is racing in the ToniSport 40+ Masters class and shows the potential of the unique car from Gizmo Racing.
Body: Bittydesign Hyper HR Motor: Orca 17.5 ETS Battery: LRP 6100mah Radio: Sanwa MT44 Servo: Team Powers DS1305LW Tires: Matrix ETS Handout Sponsors: Gizmo Racing USA, Team Powers, Bittydesign, ToniSport Specials: Very low COG, Shocks mounted in front of the rear arms, 2-piece topdeck, 1-piece Motor- and Servomount, Single Bellcrank steering, fully adjustable caster
Coelho wins Q2 ahead of an unleashed Manzo and Rheinard
The second round of qualifying in the Matrix Modified class saw Bruno Coelho taking the win. The Xray factory driver started second behind RD1 TQ Rheinard (Awesomatix) and it took him some laps to get in front on the leader board as his first lap was not perfect. In lap 11 Rheinard had to open for Coelho and tried to follow him as close as possible to the end of the run. But the most impressive drive in Modified Q2 happened directly behind Coelho and Rheinard where Michele Manzo (Awesomatix) was able to fight with Bruno for the lead. At some point during the run he came closer and closer on track and was leading the race until he lost around 1 second when making a small mistake in lap 20. Nevertheless, he crossed the line in second position in front of Rheinard and Mugen Seiki`s Ronald Völker (4th) and Yokomo`s Christopher Krapp (5th).
Bruno Coelho told us after Q2:
After I overshoot two corners in lap number one, I was a little behind the race leaders. But then I got everything together and had a very good run. It was a close fight on track with Michele Manzo who was driving really impressive. As I knew that I was leading with a small gap in the last stage of the run I tried to push a little more because my goal was to post a faster overall runtime compared to Rheinard`s Q1 time from yesterday evening.
Bruno Coelho, Xray/Hobbywing
We also had a quick chat with Michele Manzo after Q2:
That run was unreal! I am still very emotional and happy with my driving and my car`s performance. When I was leading the race, I got even more nervous which maybe was the reason for my small mistake in lap 20. But as this was my best qualifying run at the ETS I am more than proud of it, and it feels great to battle with the best touring car drivers on the planet here in Neumünster!
Xray`s Alexandre Duchet took round 2 of qualifying here on Saturday morning at ETS RD4 in Neumünster. Duchet took the round with a gap of 0.561 seconds ahead of Awesomatix driver Max Mächler. Tim Benson (Mugen Seiki) was third fastest and Jan Ratheisky had another good run in the second fastest heat which brought him the fourth overall position for the round. Frederik Mikkelsen completed the top 5 after suffering from a DNF in yesterday evening`s opening qualifier. Alexandre Duchet is in the best position for claiming the overall TQ in the Xray ProStock class and we will know more about it after Q3.
The second round of qualifying was a close one and Stefan Schulz was able to take the win ahead of Q1 winner Marvin Fritschler. Schulz had a super clean run as his fastest lap and his medium time was in the window of only 0.1 seconds – a really good performance. Steven Olsen posted the third fastest time ahead of Jonas Völker and Torsten Baggendorf. With Fritschler and Schulz having a first and second position from the two rounds of qualifying, they have the best shot for the overall TQ in the Hobbywing Frontwheel class, but Steven Olsen is also in striking distance with two more rounds of qualifying to come here on Chuck`s Raceway in Neumünster.
After he took Q1 on Friday afternoon, Thomas Bemmerl also took the second round of qualifying in the Orca Stock 17.5 class. This time he won in front of Daniel Pöhlman again, but Pöhlmann was able to close the gap to only 1.0 seconds. Dominik Ruf posted the thirds fastest time and is still looking strong on track with his rare seen Tamiya car. Jan Gehrig finished fourth and Georg Rolshoven completed the top 5 in round two of qualifying in the Orca 17.5 Stock class. Thomas Bemmerl has now scored maximum points two times in a row, and it will be a difficult task for anybody to take the TQ spot away from him in the remaining two rounds on Saturday.
Toni Mateo is on fire here at ETS RD4 in Neumünster as he won Q2 ahead of Ulrich Dinger who finished second right behind Mateo. Søren Boy Holst had a strong run to third place with the only and unique Gizmo car in the field. Caspar Morgen and Frank Fuchs completed the top five in the second round of qualifying of the ToniSport 40+ Masters class. It looks very good for Toni Mateo now as he has the best chances to start un pole position tight now! But with two more rounds to come he cannot be 100% sure about it.
The second round of Formula qualifying saw again Jan Ratheisky in front of the pack. René Kölbel finished second and a much-improved Patrick Sadrinna third. Sören Sparbier and Tomáš Sova completed the top 5 as Ratheisky`s pole position is coming closer. We will know more after Q3.
Rheinard takes opening qualifier at Chuck`s Raceway
The first round of qualifying in the Matrix Modified class saw Awesomatix lead driver Marc Rheinard taking the win. After being top seed, Marc started ahead of Bruno Coelho (Xray) who looked a bit faster and took over the lead on the timing after a couple of laps. With Ronald Völker (Mugen Seiki) and Marco Kaufmann (Xray) dropping back directly in lap one after both lost some traction in the right part of the track, Michele Manzo (Awesomatix)moved up to third place and had a fantastic run. Coelho was leading the field until he made a mistake in ap 11 where he lost almost 2 seconds of time. Rheinard was leading again, and Manzo was running second as Coelho, Völker and Kaufmann tried to recover from their trouble until the end of the run. Coelho laid down some hot laps and was able to finish in second position behind Rheinard while Michele Manzo booked a super strong third place for himself. Ronald Völker crossed the line in 4th place and Christopher Krapp completed the top 5.
Marc Rheinard had the following words for our media team after Q1:
I had a safe and clean run and after the mistake from Bruno I just tried to control the gap to Michele and the others behind me. My Orca powered Awesomatix car felt good in Q1 and my mechanic Pumpi who is working on my car this weekend is doing an excellent job! My goal for tomorrow is to have another clean and fast run to fight for the TQ. Great job by the whole Awesomatix team with five cars in the top 10!
Duchet recovers from average practice and takes Q1
Xray`s Alexandre Duchet took the first round of ProStock qualifying here at ETS RD4 in Neumünster. After only setting the 7th fastest time in the seeding practice he was able to make his way through the field to win ahead of Simon Lauter (Awesomatix). Simon was leading the race in the first minutes but in the end, he came short to Duchet by 0.4 seconds. Max Mächler (Awesomatix) posted the fastest lap of the heat and finished third with Jan Ratheisky (Xray) and Lukas Ellerbrock (Xray) rounding out the top 5.
Alexandre Duchet was really happy with his qualifying run here on Friday evening:
During practice we tried a lot of stuff on the car which sometimes worked well and sometimes not. Now we found a good balance and the car feels ready to race. It was not easy to stay calm starting from P7, but I had a clean run and was able to take the win. I think that the other rounds tomorrow will be even more intense but starting from the front in Q2 will help me for sure. Finally, I want to compliment the great track here at the ETS and I also would like to thank Martin Hudy for doing most of the work on my car!
Marvin Fritschler was the man of the first qualifying round in the Hobbywing Frontwheel class. After being a surprise in seeding practice for most of the FWD drivers he didn`t look back in Q1 and drove to the win. Stefan Schulz tried everything he can to hunt him down but he had to settle for second just 0.3 seconds behind Fritschler. Steven Olsen, the main championship contender of Stefan Schulz, finished third in front of Jonas Völker and Kevin Sparbier who completed the top 5.
Round 1 TQ Marvin Fritschler talked to our media team after his great run:
As I am normally running 1:8 scale nitro buggy I was not expecting to be in contention for the top spots here at my first ever ETS race. But my car felt really good here on track and I was able to resist the pressure from Stefan Schulz who was chasing me for the entire run. As I know about the pace of my car with the new FWD tires right now, I will do everything to stay on top. Driving here at the ETS is great and I enjoy it a lot!
Thomas Bemmerl took advantage of his first starting position and used the clean track in front of him to secure himself a TQ run for a perfect start into the weekend. Dominik Reile, Daniel Pöhlmann, Dominik Ruf, Jan Gehrig. Dominik Ruf was in a very close fight with Bemmerl during the entire run but due a bad last lap in traffic, Dominik Ruf lost 3.3 seconds. This handed the win over to Thomas Bemmerl and it looks like it will be very hard for everybody to stop him this weekend.
Some moments after his TQ run we talked to Thomas Bemmerl:
My car was not feeling perfect in the first laps on the new set of tires, so I needed to concentrate myself a lot to not make any mistake. I only heard from the announcer that Dominik and I had a close battle on the timing sheet. Just some moments before the end of the run he (Dominik Ruf) had some trouble, and I could take the win. I am happy about this good start into qualifying, but I expect a lot of pressure from the others in Q2.
Toni Mateo from Gran Canaria took the opening round of qualifying in the ToniSport 40+ Masters class on Friday afternoon. Toni was able to open up a small gap to the entire field and he also had the fastest lap of the race (13.684). Top seed Caspar Morgen came short by 2.1 seconds but was able to take second for the round in front of Ulrich Dinger in third spot. Mirco Thalheimer and Thorsten Baggendorf completed the top 5.
Toni Mateo told us about his run:
I took it easy and tried to make no mistakes. This is always kind of my strategy for Q1, and it worked out fine in the end. My car feels good, but I will make one setup change to get a little more steering for the tight corners. As I need one more run like this, I will just try to copy my first qualifying run!
Jan Ratheisky – the reigning ETS F1 champion – took the win in the first round of qualifying at ETS RD4 in Neumünster. René Kölbel finished in second place and Sören Sparbier crossed the line in the third position. As Ratheisky and Kölbel are looking quicker compared to the rest of the field, we expect a two-horse race for pole position between both. Sören Sparbier is leading the rest of the pack at the moment, and he will try his very best to close the gap to the leaders!
The controlled practice sessions here in Neumünster have been very close between the top drivers in all ETS classes. Let`s see what they will show us in qualifying when the pace over 5 minutes is even more important than only doing three consecutive hot laps. The carpet track seems to be very challenging, and no mistakes are allowed if you want to finish on a top spot!
Matrix Modified
Rheinard is top seed in Neumünster
Awesomatix factory driver and multiple world champion Marc Rheinard was quickest in the seeding practice of the Matrix Modified class. With his three fastest consecutive laps being 0.2 seconds faster than Coelho`s, Rheinard can be very optimistic when he will start first into the top heat of qualifying later today. Xray`s Bruno Coelho finished in second place in front of Mugen Seiki`s Ronald Völker in third. Marco Kaufmann (Xray) and Lucas Urbain (Awesomatix) completed the top 5 of the Matrix Modified class at Chuck`s Raceway in Neumünster.
We talked to top seed Marc Rheinard on Friday afternoon – here is what he told us:
We tried a lot of things in all the free practice runs to improve the car and to find the sweet spot for the track here in Neumünster. We are still changing small things from run to run to find the sweet spot but overall, I am happy to be in contention at the front of the field. I expect a intense and close qualifying as the track is very challenging and everybody is on a similar speed. I will focus on my own driving to get the best out of my package!
Marc Rheinard, Awesomatix/Orca
The Top 5 after controlled practice (3 consecutive laps)
1. Marc Rheinard DE | 37.165 (Awesomatix/Orca) 2. Bruno Coelho PT | 37.388 (Xray/Hobbywing) 3. Ronald Völker DE | 37.547 (Mugen Seiki/LRP) 4. Marco Kaufmann DE | 37.685 (Xray) 5. Lucas Urbain FR | 37.768 (Awesomatix/Orca)
ToniSport driver Frederik Mikkelsen is the top seed in the Xray ProStock class. He only had a very small gap to Max Mächler and Simon Lauter, but it was enough for Mikkelsen to start first into the top qualifying heat this evening! Enrico Jung and Tim Benson completed the top 5 in the ultra-competitive Xray ProStock class with the top 20 being in one second after the two sessions of timed practice.
The Top 5 after controlled practice (3 consecutive laps)
1. Frederik Mikkelsen | 38.902 (Awesomatix/LRP) 2. Max Mächler | 38.931 (Awesomatix/Sunpadow) 3. Simon Lauter | 38.945 (Awesomatix/LRP) 4. Enrico Jung | 39.034 (Yokomo/GensAce) 5. Tim Benson | 39.123 (Mugen Seiki/Nosram)
Marvin Fritschler is the surprising top seed here in Neumünster at ETS RD4 in the Hobbywing Frontwheel class. He was two tenths faster as championship leader Stefan Schulz who will start second into qualifying in front of Jonas Völker. The FWD class is always a nice competition and with the championship leaders Olsen and Schulz being not super dominant until now, we can look forward to some exciting rounds of qualifying coming up!
The Top 5 after controlled practice (3 consecutive laps)
1. Marvin Fritschler DE | 47.155 (Awesomatix) 2. Stefan Schulz DE | 47.378 (Xray) 3. Jonas Völker DE | 47.530 (Awesomatix) 4. Meik Niemann DE | 47.635 (Awesomatix) 5. Steven Olsen DK | 47.826 (Awesomatix)
Thomas Bemmerl sets the pace once again as he came out of seeding practice as the fastest man on track. Daniel Pöhlmann followed him in second and Dominik Ruf improved his times into third position. The following 4 rounds of qualifying will be very close and it will be a nail biter until we know who will start on the very important pole position at Chuck`s Raceway.
The Top 5 after controlled practice (3 consecutive laps)
1. Thomas Bemmerl DE | 40.699 (Awesomatix) 2. Daniel Pöhlmann DE | 40.865 (Awesomatix) 3. Dominik Ruf DE | 40.959 (Tamiya) 4. Kevin Schmid DE | 41.187 (no data in myrcm) 5. Dominik Reile DE | 41.224 (Awesomatix)
The seeding practice in the ToniSport 40+ Masters class was really close as the top 15 drivers scored their fastest 3 consecutive laps in one second of time. Caspar Morgen is still leading the field and looks strong on track with his car. But as everybody is so close it will be the most important thing to keep the car on track for the whole 5 minutes in qualifying. Marc de Witt and Toni Mateo finished second and third behind Caspar Morgen here at ETS RD4 in Neumünster.
The Top 5 after controlled practice (3 consecutive laps)
1. Caspar Morgen DK | 40.961 (Xray) 2. Marc de Witt DE | 41.228 (Awesomatix) 3. Toni Mateo ES | 41.247 (Awesomatix) 4. Andy Kühne DE | 41.247 (Awesomatix) 5. Mirco Thalheimer DE | 41.260 (Xray)
Jan Ratheisky is back on top of the Formula class as he found his rhythm and scored the fastest three laps during the two rounds of seeding practice. René Kölbel is now in second and will try everything to challenge Ratheisky here at ETS RD4. Sören Sparbier is also having a good time here as he came out of seeding in third position overall!
The Top 5 after controlled practice (3 consecutive laps)
1. Jan Ratheisky DE | 41.694 (Xray) 2. Rene Kölbel AT | 42.132 (Xray) 3. Sören Sparbier DE | 42.831 (Serpent) 4. Patrick Sadrinna DE | 43.072 (no data in myrcm) 5. Michael Lipperheide DE | 43.420 (EF1)
We are looking forward to the start of Qualifying here at ETS RD4 where we expect some great action and close fights for the A-Main spots in all classes. On our website you will not miss anything as you can find two different livestream options in our “LIVE” section. To get quickly to the results of all classes simply navigate to the “RESULTS” area on our landing page.
Enjoy ETS RD4 together with us – no matter where you are!
